The Summer of Love Series
by Glitter's Infatuation
Summary: Read the first fic in my brand new Summer of love Series! Part One - Fairground Bliss
1. Dancing, Daisies and a Blindfold

Summer of Love: Fairground Bliss

Chapter One: Dancing, Daisies and a Blindfold

By Glitter's Infatuation

The sun shone steadily in the sky, casting golden rays of light over ever point of Paris, leaving everything shining with a magical glow. Shadows were nowhere to be found, and the hot humidity lay heavy on everyone's shoulders. Around Montmarte, drunken bohemians were found sleeping on roofs amongst broken bottles and chairs from previous excursions, while anyone who braved the heat walked languidly, wearing little and sweltering under the sun's gaze. The red windmill of the Moulin Rouge still turned, sparkling like a giant fireball, a golden siren of the run-down town. 

The year was 1899, and the summer of love was in full swing.

Most of the Diamond Dogs hid in their dressing rooms during the day, for fear of bumping into one of their "customers". They all hated the light anyway, as far as they were concerned, the light revealed the unwanted truth, while the night covered them, transforming the girls into exotic shadows. Very rarely did anyone go out, and even then they covered themselves and kept to dusky corners. This day, all the girls were holed up in the Great Hall, rehearsing for 'Spectacular Spectacular'. Every window was thrown open, and the dancers glistened with sweat as they repeated their scenes again and again, until Nini and Arabia stormed off, complaining that 'the couldn't rehearse without Satine', who was in every dance sequence with them. Gypsy, the unofficial choreographer, raised her eyes to the roof and sighed deeply. It was such a beautiful day, no wonder they couldn't find Satine, who would want to be inside?

"Alright you lot, we'll rehearse when the sun's gone down, hopefully Satine will be back by then. If you all mess up due to lack of rehearsals, don't even think about blaming me, okay?" Gypsy picked up her cloth and wiped the beads of sweat from her face. She could hear the stampede of shoes dim as the room emptied, and Gypsy shook her head. Satine was such a strange character. One minute she was the shy new girl, then the boisterous Diamond Dog, then the Sparkling Diamond after Chance had left, and now suddenly the love-sick schoolgirl. Most of them knew about her rendezvous with Christian, but they knew it would cost them their jobs to tell. Gypsy glanced around and then stuck her head out of the door, letting the sunlight flood her eyes and the heavy air to flow around her face. After several seconds, she closed the door and clicked her heels away.

She followed the night.

{ - - - - - - - - - - - }

Satine hurried quickly down the cobbled alleyway that led her to Christian's garret. She always went the back way, via the windmill was too much of a reminder of what rules she was breaking. Even though, the back way left Satine with a tiny thought, like an impatient itch, constantly reminding her of what dangers she was crossing, but she didn't care.

Hoisting up her skirts, Satine dashed up the wooden steps, avoiding all the creaky ones with a ballerina's grace. She rushed passed Toulouse, who merely winked and flew into Christian's room without even so much as knocking. She slammed the door behind her, and raced straight to the desk, which held Christian's beloved typewriter, a vase of bright daisies, a blindfold and a typewritten note. Picking up one of the bright blooms, Satine sniffed daintily as she read the note, whilst giggling to herself. Trust Christian!

__

Satine  
Put on the blindfold. Don't be rude, I can see you rolling your eyes, it's not nice to mock a writer's work. Yes, put on the blindfold. Sat-ine! Please, just trust me this once; promise I won't hurt you. Now, if you can, set yourself down in the chair and wait. That's right. Sitting still. Think you can do it? Good.  
Christian

Satine almost fell as she wobbly tried to set herself into the chair. When she eventually reached her destination, she tried desperately hard to keep still. Suddenly, a hand felt it's way onto her shoulder, and she almost screamed. 

"Hush, love, it's only me. I have a surprise for you; do you want to see? Well, you can't yet obviously, but when we get there, dammit, um, just come with me, okay sweetie?"

Helping her to her feet, Christian watched adoringly as Satine put all her trust in him, allowing him to lead her to where ever he wanted. She bit her lip anxiously as she felt the garret door close softly behind her, and knew she'd have to tackle the stairs. Actually, maybe not.

"Up we go, stop fidgeting Satine! I'll put you down when we get to the bottom, we'll be here all day otherwise!" Christian smoothly picked Satine off her feet and slowly descended, until he reached the front door. Placing Satine down again, he quickly guided her to where the hired carriage was waiting. Toulouse hopped from one leg to another, waving a large glass of Absinthe around, splashing the floor with the acid green liquid. He whooped and cheered as Satine clumsily pulled the door behind her and gave Christian the thumbs up, before yelling at the driver, who swiftly pulled away, leaving Toulouse dancing with the Green fairy covered with a cloud of dust. 

{ - - - - - - - - - - - }

I am currently preparing a whole series of 'Summer of Love' fics, so expect more! Chapter 2 of this fic is being written as this one is being uploaded! :)


	2. The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Summer of Love: Fairground Bliss 

Chapter 2: The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes 

The air smelt strange to Satine. It changed radically as the journey grew longer; starting off with the mouldy smell of Montmarte and getting sweeter until it was like the air was a fresh flower in bloom. She tried to raise her arms to pull off her blindfold, but Christian's hands gently pulled them back down. Grinning ruefully, Satine sighed with resignation, while Christian watched adoringly at her almost child-like state.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Satine heard faintly in the distance noises that sounded bright and musical. She jiggled about in her seat and strained her ears, waiting patiently for the music to become louder. It gradually did, until Satine recognised it as being the theme tune for the Summer Fun Faire, which visited Paris every year. A small childish gasp escaped from her mouth, and Christian gently pulled off the blind, so Satine could revel in the bright colour and excitement.

For miles around lay fields, ranging from jewel green to earthy green and then to an almost neon green. The sun reflected brightly off the mirrors of the Faire, and Satine's eyes grew as large as pennies as she drank in the bright colour. Trumpets sounded, whistles blew and a general chatter burbled louder and louder from the beautiful open field, which was covered with multicoloured streamers and glitter and swirling masses of bodies which ran from here to there. It was like a private bubble, like a fairy party or something from a fantasy.

"Oh my darling, this is…this is magnifique!" Satine twisted in her seat and enveloped Christian into a fierce hug, followed by a stream of feather-light kisses. "I do love you, you know that don't you, you sweet irreplaceable perfect darlingest man, I do love you so!"

Christian untangled himself from Satine's firm grasp and swiftly pulled out a silk red cape, which he fastened delicately around her neck. The vivid red colour matched Satine's fiery hair perfectly, setting off her crystal blue eyes and pale skin with a fierce intensity. The cape was held with a tiny clasp under her neck, a tiny star and elegant quill. Christian grinned; he'd made Toulouse draw it for him before having it made. Satine let her fingers trail over the expensive fabric, it was beautiful. Before she could say anything, Christian pulled her into a kiss, which was only stopped by the driver rapping sharply onto the carriage door. Pulling apart, Satine gracefully arranged her cape around her head, while Christian hopped impatiently. 

"Satine, where do you want to go first? Food? The mirrors? The clowns? The dance hall?" the nervous poet gabbled endlessly, until Satine silenced him by laying her tiny index finger over Christian's lips.

"We have all day, busy boy! Let's just take our time, yes?"

The crowds seemed to part as Satine entered through the old wooden gates that led to the Faire. People stopped their games to steal a glance at the tall ravishing beauty clad in a virginally white dress and sinfully red cape. Grubby candyfloss fingers reached out to the beautiful lady, but wary mothers who knew too well that they didn't mix stopped them short. Christian tripped over various pairs of feet and discarded wrappers as his eyes never left Satine's, which were darting around and bright like stars.

Standing in front of a hoopla, Satine flashed pleading eyes in Christian's direction, then back at the giant stuffed rabbit which was the prize. 

"For me?"

Christian grinned. "For someone who gets showered with diamonds nightly, you sure are a cheap date." Rolling up his sleeve, the poet counted out some change and picked up his hoops. He split the pile up, two for himself and two for Satine, and began to throw them over the brightly painted boxes. His first throw went way off the mark and hit the ceiling. 

"Just a practise, sweets, just to get my arm working." Satine rolled her eyes. 

The second shot was better, but not good enough. The ring hit the table and bounced a few times, before lying crookedly over a green box. Satine grinned and pushed Christian to one side.

"Step aside, boy, let a true master show you how it's done." Stepping in front of Christian, Satine leaned over and threw a wobbly hoop that only just missed. The second hoop was perfect, gliding through the air and landing neatly over the hardest box to win. Turning her head, Satine watched as Christian stared, his jaw hanging wide open.

"See, wasn't that hard, was it?" Turning back to the stall man who stood dumbstruck, Satine soon held her overstuffed rabbit in her arms. He was cream and white, and was soon christened Cerise. Christian shook his head.

"Isn't Cerise French for cherry?"

"Yes?" Satine had already wandered over to watch the donkey rides.

"Are you sure it's a girl? If I was a stuffed male rabbit, I know for a fact I wouldn't want to be called Cerise."

"Well, what would an inanimate stuffed male rabbit want to be called then?"

"I don't know, something manly, not cerise."

"Well, I'll remember that when you're reincarnated as a stuffed rabbit sweetie." Kissing him daintily on the nose, Satine flew off into the distance, her cape streaming behind her in a siren wave. Running doggedly, Christian almost bumped into Satine as she stood in front of the Big Top, where a rough wooden sign had been placed.

The Summer Fun Faire Can-Can Troupe! 

Satine shook her head in exasperation. "Can I never escape the blasted can-can?" Sighing with resignation, the red-haired star slipped behind the yellow flap and evaporated into the dark, making Christian follow her.

Inside, the troupe was in full swing, swishing about their skirts and yelling for all there worth. The girls all wore similar dresses, yellow and red, the colours of the Faire. After an exhausting number of splits and round-kicks, they began to bring female visitors into the circle to try and teach them how to can-can. Satine watched with a critical eye.

"Look at them, I've done better splits than that!"

"Don't get feisty now," Christian warned, a smirk playing on his lips. "Anyway, I've never seen you can-can, you've always been the Diamond, haven't you?"

"I was a Diamond Dog for a few months, they called me Satine, the Siren Songbird. I had the most beautiful dress, but I had to give it up when I was updated. The Diamond doesn't wear can-can skirts, you see." Satine was about to go on, but a can-can girl rushing up to her interrupted. 

"Can you can-can?" the girl flashed a 100-watt grin.

"Actually, I can." Satine grinned back, her answer surprising the younger girl.

"Well, come on then!" Catching her arm, the young girl dragged Satine to the centre, leaving Christian holding Cerise and looking decidedly embarrassed.

"Now HERE," the girl shouted loud enough to stop the whole audience, "we have a girl who says she CAN can-can! Who wants to see her?" The audience roared yes.

Smirking, a dancer indicated to the band in the corner and Satine rolled her eyes as she recognised the can-can theme tune. They could have at least given her something more fun! Quickly, Satine stretched her arms and legs before flying into a ferocious Moulin Rouge style can-can. She twirled, twisted, flicked, kicked and flashed as much leg as possible, leaving the male audience rapt and the troupe staring with wide eyes. When the band finished, the applause was enormous, shouts of encore echoing around the big tent. Waving like a film star, Satine smoothly grabbed Christian's hand and fled, giggling like a maniac.

"You were amazing! No wonder you got updated, and I bet Nini hated you." Christian remarked.

"With a hatred that has never wavered." Satine signed as she stared at the dying sunlight. Christian kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry, love. Now, want to go on the Ferris Wheel?"

"Please!" Satine grabbed Cerise and ran like the wind, stopping only to call back for Christian to hurry up. When she reached her destination, Satine was pleased to find the queue empty.

"Christian!" Satine whined and placed herself onto the seats.

"C-coming Satine." Christian threw himself into the seat and wheezed. "You d-didn't have to run s-so fast."

The couple gasped slightly as the machine whirled into life and they slowly lifted into the air. The night had arrived quickly; summer had only come recently, and the midnight blue sky was dotted with stars.

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes." Christian sang softly, watching Satine intently, her eyes reflecting all the bright colours of the Faire. "Cellophane flowers of yellow and green, towering over your head, look for the girl with the sun in her eyes, and she's gone. Satine in the sky with diamonds, follow her down to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies, everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers that grow so incredibly high." Satine giggled as she imagined all the wondrous things Christian was describing to her, things that made her want to fly away more than ever. 

"Newspaper taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away, climb in the back with your head in the clouds and you're gone." Now at the top, the seat stopped so the pair could see the stars closer than they ever had before. Christian sang again, his voice melting into the night.  
"Satine in the sky with diamonds, picture yourself on a train in a station with plasticine porters with looking glass ties. Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes."

Smiling softly, Christian leaned over and kissed Satine softly, a long lingering kiss that seemed to last forever. Shivering slightly, Satine rubbed her arms as Christian helped her back into their carriage, before going around to the other side and sliding in. Catching Satine into a hug, Christian inhaled her flowery scent and ran his fingers down up and down her pale skin, feeling the electric currents passing through them both.

The Summer of Love had begun.

{ - - - - - - - - - - - }  
"Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" The Beatles [I changed Lucy to Satine ;)]


End file.
